Monday, June 30, 2014

Beyond the Edge: Himalayan Heroics in 3D

The
conquest of Mt. Everest is considered the final crowning achievement of the
British Empire, but it was successfully completed by a New Zealander and a
Nepali (or possibly Tibetan) Sherpa. It was a nearly impossible climb with
early 1950s gear that was further complicated by the odd logistical error here
and there. However, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were part of a
generation that refused to substitute excuses for success. The story of their
summiting is recounted and recreated in Leanne Pooley’s 3D documentary Beyond the Edge (trailer here), which opens this
Friday at the IFC Center.

Before
Hillary joined Colonel John Hunt’s 1953 expedition, the Everest statistics told
a grim tale: “thirteen deaths and no summits.” Hillary, an unassuming bee-keeper
was one of only two New Zealanders in Hunt’s party, but he truly looked like a
mountaineer. He also had the skills and the drive to for the final push. Unlike
most of his Sherpa colleagues, Tenzing Norgay also had a climber’s ambition to summit—and
summit first. Like good Survivor contestants,
they sized each other up, recognized their compatibilities, and formed an
alliance. Soon they were a team, hustling to establish a path through the
dreaded icefall to impress Hunt.

Yes,
there will be setbacks and complications. One of the strangest aspects of Beyond is the way its vocabulary more
often evokes horror films than National
Geographic specials. There are references to the “Death Zone” immediately
below the summit and the “stench of death” asserting itself even before that
stage. Nevertheless, Beyond is
visually awe-inspiring. The 3D adds depth, but is not absolutely necessary—the spectacle
of the Himalayas does not need punching-up. For her hybrid approach, Pooley
seamlessly integrated restored 16mm color footage shot by the Hunt expedition
with dramatic recreations mostly filmed in New Zealand’s Southern Alps. Just
watching the immersive visuals will make viewers feel chilly and light-headed.

There
is also plenty of expert commentary in Beyond,
but Pooley eschews the traditional talking head approach, opting instead
for disembodied voice-overs, sort of like Room 237, except her professionals are insightful and experienced Everest
veterans rather than cracked eccentrics. The enthusiastic participation of
Hillary’s mountaineering son Peter and Tenzing Norgay’s son Norbu Tenzing also
adds apostolic credibility.

Mountain climbing sequences used to be where movies
went to die (MST3K’s “rock climbing”
riffs for Lost Continent pretty much
said it all), but documentaries somehow managed to crack that nut. Like Nick
Ryan’s K2 doc The Summitbefore it, Beyond is tight, tense, and very
cinematic. Yet, instead of a tragic cautionary tale of reckless overreach,
Pooley’s film celebrates courage, ambition, and sheer will power. No mere
Discovery Channel special, it is much more dramatic and entertaining than you
would expect. Highly recommended for sporty audiences, Beyond the Edge opens this Friday (7/4) in New York at the IFC
Center.

About Me

J.B. (Joe Bendel) works in the book publishing industry, and also teaches jazz survey courses at NYU's School of Continuing and Professional Studies. He has written jazz articles for publications which would be appalled by his political affiliation. He also coordinated instrument donations for displaced musicians on a volunteer basis for the Jazz Foundation of America during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Send e-mail to: jb.feedback "at" yahoo "dot" com.